#redblazer – it's gonna be a thing

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015

Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair

This entire weekend has been full of sun, beaches, and soccer. I’m not sure what’s going on with Mother Nature right now, but it seems as though while New England is having one of the worst winter storms in a long time, Seattle is jumping into spring early. It’s really only rained maybe 10 days out of the 60+ I’ve been here, and the past few weeks have been extremely sunny and beautiful.

This weekend was the best so far. Temperatures as high as 60, and not a cloud in the sky the entire weekend. I’d been looking forward to today since Friday afternoon, when I had decided to buy tickets to the Seattle Sounders first home game of the season. I woke up “late” because of daylight savings, and got ready to play in my own soccer game; my team had their second to last game, and the weather made me so eager to get out in the sun and run around. After the game, my friend and her boyfriend asked if I wanted to head down to this restaurant and have some Fish and Chips. Our game was in West Seattle, which is why they thought of that restaurant. Since I’d never been to West Seattle before, I thought, yes, of course, let’s go exploring. We drove all the way down to Alki Point and I immediately fell in love.

The houses were small and quaint, there were shops and restaurants everywhere, and a ton of people just hanging out. The area reminds me of the beach in Sweden called Skrea Strand; just really small houses, a rocky beach, and freezing cold water. I walked in and lasted probably 15 seconds before I had to jump out again. We of course got to the Fish and Chips restaurant, called Spud, and it was amazing. I had one piece of fish, and clam chowder. Both were amazing, and I can’t wait to go back and eat more.

Spud Fish and Chips: An Adventure In EatingCaught the Seagulls in flight on the beach. Olympia’s are in the background.

After our extended lunch and walk, I was dropped off at my apartment, and I quickly showered and started getting ready for the Sounders game. The game was at 630pm, and I had made plans to go to my friend’s house, who I was going to the game with, to have dinner beforehand so we wouldn’t have to spend money at the field. Once we finished with dinner, we took the bus all the way downtown to CenturyLink Field, and were immediately greeted with a sea of green and blue. It was truly a sight to see. I hadn’t been at CenturyLink since the company Holiday Party back in January, and I had never actually been in the stadium.
Let me tell you, it’s amazing.

Since the weather in Seattle is pretty mild compared to other places, the stadium is pretty open. You’re pretty much always outside, or near the fresh air. We quickly walked to our seats and arrived just in time to hear the starting line-ups. It was so incredible to hear all of the chants that the Sounders fan section had. There was even a chant-leader who was taking them through all of the different chants. Before I leave Seattle, I really want to go to a game and sit in the fan section with all of those people. It would need a lot of energy, but it’s something I feel like would be awesome to be a part of.

I had never been to a live professional soccer game before today, and it was something else. After the goals there were fireworks, and the goal posts had flames coming out of them at the beginning and end of the game. The theatrics alone were breathtaking. The Sounders ended up winning 3-0 thanks to a two goal performance by Clint Dempsey. This was such a cool experience because I had no idea what to expect from it. I have been to hundreds of hockey games. I’ve been to baseball games, and a few football games. But I’ve never been to a soccer game, and if all of them have the same atmosphere like they do in Seattle, I would probably go more often.